Core or spool for balls of thread



(No Model.)

- -W. CLARK. GORE 0R SPOOL F OR BALLS 0F THREAD.

No. 555,498. Patented Mar. .3, 1896.

WITNESSES:

UNITED STATE PATENT OFFICE.

lVILLIAM CLARK, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE WILLIAM CLARKCOMPANY, OF SAME PLACE AND STONINGTON, CONNECTICUT.

CORE OR SPOOL FOR BALLS OF THREAD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 555,498, dated March 3,1896.

Application filed October 21,1895. $erial No. 666,284. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM CLARK, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Cores or Spools forBalls of Thread, of which the following is a specification.

My'invention relates generally to cores or spools for balls of thread,either cotton or silk, but more particularly to balls of darningcotton.

Darning-cotton is usually composed of four separate strands of two plieseach, running side by side and wound in ball form. These strands areseparate or detached so that the user may select either one, two, three,or four strands, according to the character of the work to be done. Theselection and securement of any one or more of the individual strandshave heretofore been difficult of attainment, largely because of thefact that the plurality of strands Were wound in' a twisted condition inthe balling operation. Owing to the manner in which the cotton washeretofore put up and balled for the market it was impossible to avoidsuch twisting of the strands in the winding process.

One object of my invention is to make a core or spool upon which severalstrands (two or more) of the cotton may be wound even, fiat, andparallel, thereby avoiding the twisting referred to and facilitating theselection and separation of the individual strands.

My invention has for afurther object to provide means for fastening theends of the cotton at the beginning and at the end of the windingprocess, and for also fastening the ends of the cotton during non-use ofthe ball, so as to prevent casual unwinding and entanglement, and at thesame time maintain the ball in condition for immediate use; and it hasfor a still further object to provide a construction whereby the cottonis prevented from being moved or pushed endwise upon its block orsupport and thus becoming detached therefrom.

Other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter.

To these ends my invention consists in certain features of construction,hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in theappended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is an end View of a ball ofdarning-cotton provided with a core or spool embodying my im provementsready for the market. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section thereof. Fig.3 is a detail view, reduced scale, of a core or block mounted upon thespindle of a balling-machine and showing the securement of the inner endof the cotton and the initial winding thereof. Fig. MS a view similar toFig. 3, but showing the ball at a further but unfinished stage of thewinding.

The cotton is designated by the numeral 1, and by reference moreparticularly to Fig. 3 it will be observed that it is composed of fourparallel strands, each of which in practice is made of two plies ofcotton. Owing to the difficulty of illustration the convolutions of thecotton at Figs. 1, 2, and 4 are represented by single lines, but it willbe understood that each of these lines is to be considered asrepresenting a plurality of separate strands. In Figs. 1 and 2 the outerend or terminal of the thread is shown as composed of four separatestrands.

The thread is wound upon a core, support, or block 2, which is formedwithan opening 3 through its center or longitudinal axis to enable theblock to be mounted upon the square or angular end 4 of a rotary spindle5, forming a part of a balling or inding machine. The ends of the blockare. made cylindrical, as at 6 and 7, and between the ends the block ismade globular or round, as seen at 8, thus providing a swell or convexportion at each side between the ends of the block. The cylindrical endsare made smaller in diameter than the globular portion. The cylindricalend 7 is formed with a diametrical slit or cut 9 extending from itsouter surface inwardly to or about the junction of the parts 7 and 8. Inthe balling or winding of the thread the block is slipped upon the endof the spindle or mandrel and the inner end of the cotton is passed downthrough said slit or cut 9, as shown at Fig. 3, and the thread thencarried diagonally across the globular portion 8 of the block, as alsoexhibited by said figure.

The balling-machine is of about the usual construction, and during therotation of the block upon the mandrel the usual ily or winder operatesto lay the several strands of the cotton about and upon the block in themanner indicated by the drawings. \Vhen the winding is completed, theouter severed extremity of the thread is also passed down into the slit,which acts as a fastening means and prevents the casual unwinding of thethread. The thread is so cut off from the supply-bobbin in theballing-machine as that there may be a prolonged or extended end, asillustrated, to facilitate the fastening oi. the thread until it may bedesired for use. In practice labels 10 and 11 are pasted on thecylindrical ends of the block, the label 10 assisting some in preventingaccidental detachment of the end. of the thread from the slit. Oncommencing to use the thread the label 10 is broken or d ivided topermit the removal of the fastened end of the thread. The label beingmade of thin paper it may be readily broken by simply pulling the end ofthe thread outwardly from the slit.

The slit in the block is, of course, made of such depth that when theprocess of winding is commenced the thread or cotton may be securelyfastened and bymerely drawin the thread down through the slit. By thissimple plan the operator is enabled to turn off the work more quicklyand hence more cheaply. The slit is also useful in that it enables thecotton to be simply and securely fastened upon the completion of thewinding process, and by pasting the label over the end of the block thecotton cannot become detached in handling. The end may, however, bereadily found by the user and may be easily uni'astened to obtain asupply oi. the cotton.

The swell in the center of the block performs two functions: First, itenables the cotton to be wound flat and smooth or without twisting andto form a ball from the very commencement of the winding. If the processof winding be commenced on an ordinary straight or parallel sided centerit is almost impossible with ordinary balling-machines to avoid theriding of the strands one upon an other and the creation of a twist inthe thread, which, as explained, is objectionable; butby having a swellor convex middle portion the thread may be started at such an angle asthat the multiple strands may be laid flat and parallel, as shown atFig. 3, from start to linish in the winding operation, and thus entirelyobviate the said objectionable twisting. The other function of the swellalluded to is to prevent the cotton from being pushed or pulled oil theblock at either end, as can readil y be done with an ordinary straightor parallel sided block.

In addition to theabovea'ccitcd advantages of the construction shown anddescribed. the following are likewise obtained: The ball be in gprovided with a block to which the inner end of the cotton is secured,the cotton must be unwound or used from the outside, and hence theobjections and diiliculties arising from unwinding or using the ballfrom the inside are effectually surmounted. By reason of winding theball upon a block, which is slipped oil the mandrel with the ball, thereis no possibility of closure or contraction of the ball, and hence aslackenii'lg of the tension of the conrolutions at the time of removal.of the ball. from the machine, as heretofore, and as a consequence theliability of the convolutions or layers accidentally slipping of]? theball during use is wholly overcome. Inasmuch as the block forms a rigidinterior support for the ball. there is never any possibility of thecollapse or loss of form of the ball, and as a result during use theball will maintain its rotundity, tension, density and compactness. Forthese reasons the ball may be used down to its block without any dangerof entanglement of the cotton and without the waste and other annoyancesattcndin g the use of the previously-made balls.

My improvemenis in cores or spools may of course be employed in. thewinding oi balls of knitting and sewing cotton as well as silk, and I donot wish to be limited to the use of darning-cotton nor to threadcomprising a plurality of strands.

\Vhat 1 claim. as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A core or spool. for a ball of thread having a central perforationfor its placement upon the mandrel of a balling-machine, and having acentral globular portion, and also cylindrical ends made smaller indiameter than said globular portion; as set forth.

2. A core or spool for a ball of. thread having a central perforationfor its placement upon the mandrel of a.balling-machine, and having acentral globular portion, and. also cylindrical ends made smaller indiameter than said globular portion, one of said ends having a slitextending inwardly to or near said glolmlar portion; as set forth.

Signed at Sttmington, in the county of New London and State ofConnecticut, this lllh day of October, A. D. 1895.

iVllQlllAM ()LAl-llx'. \Viincsses:

A. R. STILmrAN, C. I). Corrnmm.

